


Short Stack

by Heart_Seoul_Soshi



Category: Descendants (Disney Movies)
Genre: Drabble, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-29
Updated: 2017-12-29
Packaged: 2019-02-23 08:16:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13186062
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Heart_Seoul_Soshi/pseuds/Heart_Seoul_Soshi
Summary: “I’m too short to reach the top shelf and too stubborn to get a stool, you watched me take a running leap for it before you offered to grab the book for me.”





	Short Stack

**Author's Note:**

> a request from @skylaroftheisle on tumblr

History of Animal Familiars and Companions.  
  
There was a title if Mal ever saw one. The title of a book one of the grumpy Dragon Hall librarians had pointed Mal in the direction of when she realized she’d chosen to write her class essay on Diablo  _before_ remembering he’d been encased in stone her entire life and she knew next to nothing about him. On the rare occasions she found herself carrying enough interest to ask, Maleficent would drape an arm over her forehead and dramatically declare “I can’t talk about it” before shooing Mal away with the wave of a hand.  
  
So as weirdly impersonal as it was to resort to a book to learn about a glorified family pet, it was her only option. She’d only been shown the general direction of the reading by the blasé bookkeep, but luckily for Mal and her precious precious time, the crooked bookshelf she stood before was the only one in this part of the library, and just had to be what she was looking for. The book itself, on the other hand, had no consideration for Mal and her precious precious time.  
  
Tattered, peeling spines with worn and faded text were the order of business for almost every volume shoved onto a shelf, and Mal could barely make any of the titles out. By pure chance and pure chance alone her eyes darted to the top shelf, where like all the others the writing was seriously faded but still showed definite hints of “History of Animal Familiars and Companions”.   
  
The top shelf.  
  
“Of course,” Mal let out her breath in a huff.  
  
Being Mal, height was not her thing—thank you, fairy genes. But also being Mal, she gave it a shot anyway. On her tiptoes she stood, stretching and straining her arm up above her head, but the book was  _just_ out of reach of her fingertips. She lowered her arm with a growl, then took a look all around to make sure there were no witnesses she’d have to handle later before she jumped, trying to gain that extra inch she needed. Her embarrassing little hops did indeed give her the height, but not the time she needed to get a firm grasp on the book and pull it from the shelf. Logic told her to go find and wheel over one of those stepladders the librarians were always lurking around on when they shelved, but Mal had already made it this far, she wasn’t about to turn back and take the easy way out. She’d sooner kick the decrepit bookshelf over and fish out what she needed from the rubble (which was not too farfetched an idea to her, especially not at the moment).  
  
With the fingers of both hands curling around leather she straightened out the collar of her jacket with a yank, refusing to let this stupid, simple task get the best of her. Alright, hanging out with Jay was about to pay off big time. Murderously eyeing the top shelf she stepped backwards, shoe after shoe shuffling along away from the bookcase. She gauged her distance, gave herself a straight shot and flexed her fingers, ready for this stupid thing to be done and over with. On the mental count of four (she was a rebel) she took off into a run, hitting the perfect sweet spot to kick herself into a much better jump, physics on her side and everything.  
  
She went crashing shoulder first into the shelves, falling backwards with a thud onto the floor as a clattering rain of books came down around her like the books themselves knew who she was and didn’t dare to land on the head of Maleficent’s daughter. The ancient bookcase tottered crazily back and forth but miraculously did not topple over, and when Mal sat up with a growl she found that History of Animal Familiars and Companions was not one of the books fallen beside her.  
  
“…Here, let me help you before you bring the entire library down,” a soft voice said.  
  
The Evil Queen’s daughter was suddenly there, out of nowhere, reaching up effortlessly to take hold of the book and pull it free from the shelf. Not even needing to stand on her tiptoes or anything.  
  
“Okay, Evie, you’re not  _that_ much taller than me,” Mal snapped, standing up and again straightening out her jacket collar.  
  
Evie held the book out to Mal with a shy smile.  
  
“And I didn’t need your help,” Mal snatched it out of Evie’s hands, glowering. “How long were you standing there?”  
  
“Long enough to realize that if I didn’t help you you’d tear the place apart.”  
  
“I didn’t need your help,” Mal repeated, turning on her heels and not even making an attempt to pick up the books she’d knocked off the shelf.  
  
“I didn’t mind,” Evie said, following after Mal. “You were kind of cute, hopping up and down like that.”  
  
“I am not cute!!” Mal instantly denied, whirling around just long enough to cut a glare at Evie.  
  
Then she was storming off to the front counter to just get the dang book checked out so she could be on her way. Horrid library trip done and over with, she’d almost just made it to the doors to leave when that same soft voice was close behind her shoulder.  
  
“It was cute.”  
  
“It was not!!”  
  
Evie trailed after a fuming Mal as she pushed the doors open and strode down the dark school hallway.  
  
“A little cute, Mal.”  
  
“ _No_.”  
  
“You were just so determined.”  
  
“Shut up.”  
  
Mal went all the way to her locker with Evie behind her, where she shoved the textbook inside to be promptly forgotten until she came back to take it home with her after school.  
  
“You don’t tell a single person about this,” Mal jabbed a finger in her direction.  
  
Evie, here and now, wasn’t fazed by Mal’s intimidation—too strung up remembering the big bad villainess stretching on her tiptoes and bouncing around with little pouts and growls—but she smiled and nodded anyway.  
  
“My lips are sealed, M.”


End file.
